1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rendering deforming objects in animation, and more specifically, to using wave zones to render such deforming objects.
2. Background
For object modeling operations, such as applying a texture to the surface of an object, a mapping between the texture and the surface needs to be performed. This mapping is usually specified using a pair of UV parametric spaces (sometimes referred to as a parameterization), one space defined over the texture and one space defined over the surface of the object.
There are two broadly-defined techniques of assigning a parameterization to a three dimensional object modeled with non-uniform rational BSplines (NURBS): natural parameterization (sometimes referred to as UV mapping) and projection mapping. However, these existing parameterization techniques are not well suited for an object such as a wave. For example, the UV mapping assigns coordinates using the underlying mathematical properties of the NURBS and is therefore attached to the object. Thus, if the object deforms, the UV mapping deforms with the object. Since the wave deforms, the UV mapping technique is incapable of providing consistent answers over time for parts of a wave. As for the projection mapping, since the wave moves, cameras need to be animated to define the projections. Further, since the wave changes shape (e.g., breaking or non-breaking), the camera animation process needs to include manual designation of cameras to be considered. Accordingly, if the wave animation changes, the camera animation process needs to be redone. The projection mapping also needs a further processing to avoid projecting the same value at multiple points on the surface.